Guatemala - La Huerta Washed

Guatemala - La Huerta Washed

Region:  Finca La Bolsa, La Libertad, Huehuetenango, Guatemala
Producer:  Maria Elena Vides
Varietal:  Red Caturra-Bourbon
Altitude: 1550 MASL
Process:  Washed

We Taste:  Apple, Almond Butter, Lime

Light Roast

Jorge Vides, patriarch of the Vides58 family-owned exporter, purchased his first coffee farm, Finca La Bolsa, in 1958. Finca La Bolsa shares a border with Finca El Sarral, which is the farm that produces the coffee that Rival Brothers uses in our Whistle and Cuss blend.  

Jorge was the kind of man who poured his heart into everything he did. In addition to cultivating coffee, Jorge also worked full-time as a physician. In the beginning, he saw patients Mondays through Fridays and worked on the farm during all other hours. He later became director of the National Hospital of Huehuetenango, which still bears his name today.  

In addition to producing coffee and saving lives through medicine, Jorge founded a school on the farm in 1980. The school, authorized by the National Ministry for Education, is still educating young people in the community to this day.  

In 2001, Jorge and his children and grandchildren decided to transition the farm towards entirely growing specialty coffee. In 2002, coffee from Vides58 won 2nd place in the Guatemalan Cup of Excellence. 

Vides58 also established a joint program with Association Coffee Care, an organization dedicated to reducing instances of child labor by offering educational and recreational programs to children aged 2 to 14.  

Today, Vides58 is as family-owned as ever. Jonathan (Rival Brothers co-founder) and Chris (Director of Coffee at Rival Brothers) were able to visit in February of 2025 to see these immaculate farms and spend time with the owners and employees.